from AtlantaThrashers.com, GM Don Waddell on the Kovalchuk negotiations…

“Jay Grossman (Kovalchuk’s agent) was in town this weekend and we met on Saturday and Sunday. Again, I continue to say that we have made some progress. We still have a long ways to go. It’s been an interesting negotiations because there’s been so many other factors that have entered into the contract as far as where our team is and where we’re heading. I still remain optimistic that we will get something done. I don’t have any kind of timeframe. We seem to have hit a little snag right now and we’re going to take a little time to re-think our positions and we’ll get back after the holidays.”

“It turns out this way. Imagine that you see a glass of water. Why not drink it? I just want to do it. I repeat – this is hockey. It you’re afraid of injuries then you shouldn’t leave your house. It’s weird. A year ago nobody asked me why I am not watching for myself, but now – on the eve of the Olympics – the question suddenly arises. I play hockey and enjoy it. If you don’t smash somebody, then you’ll be smashed.”

-Alexander Ovechkin of the Washington Capitals. More from the translated story at RussiaToday.

I’ve always found it odd that Senators fans boo Bruins defenceman Zdeno Chara every time he touches the puck in this rink, and apparently Big Z does too. Here’s what he had to say following his current team’s 2-0 win over his former team:

“I don’t know. I can’t really control what the fans are doing, if they’re booing me or not. I played hard when I played for Ottawa, I always did my best and the organization, at that time, chose Wade Redden and I was fine with that and I had to move on. So when they decided to sign Wade instead of me, I had to move on and obviously management back then — John Muckler and company — they made it look like I went for the money, but that wasn’t the case. Basically I liked my chances and options that I had in Boston and that’s why I chose Boston and I still believe in that and it’s just too bad that they made it look, to the fans and to the public, like I went for the money.”

Oilers management has chased after big name talent, high-priced players in their late 20s and early 30s. That strategy paid off in 2006, with Chris Pronger and Dwayne Roloson almost leading the team to a Stanley Cup victory.

In the years since then, however, this same strategy has produced nothing but mediocrity in Edmonton, and there’s no sign things are going to change in coming years. In fact, the best bet would be for things to get worse.

As a result, the Oilers now need a new management team to bring in a new philosophy, and the sooner, the better.

It’s time for someone else to run this team. The roster itself needs to be dismantled, a difficult job, given the constraints of the NHL’s salary cap system and the strained budgets of many other teams. Nonetheless, if the Oilers appoint a caretaker manager, similar to what Toronto did in bringing in Cliff Fletcher, it’s likely some progress could be made.

So what’s it going to be at the Pepsi Center tonight against Anaheim? Another 11 grand (really, about 9 grand actually in the building)? Let’s hope not, because there really aren’t too many good excuses anymore not to come out. They’re a first-place team, with some top young players, a team starting to believe in itself a little.

Tickets are out there to be had that are reasonably affordable: 40 bucks or so for a lower bowl seat, 22 or so for an upper bowl seat. Plus, there are deals that get you things like food and beer as part of a ticket.

This week’s list comes courtesy of “National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation.” In the words of Clark W. Griswold, let’s talk about the Vancouver Canucks.

“If I woke up tomorrow with my head sewn to the carpet, I wouldn’t be more surprised than I am right now.”

OK, so maybe Vancouver hockey fans aren’t exactly shocked the Canucks are failing to live up to expectations. (Sorry, Mike Gillis. Can’t help it. Years of failure. Many emotional scars. Innate sense of dread. The rain doesn’t help.) But it really wasn’t supposed to be like this - almost halfway through the season and out of a playoff spot. The Canucks (20-16-0) have simply failed to get points in enough of their games. After Sunday’s loss to the Blues, only Carolina, Montreal and Philadelphia had fallen more times in regulation. More reason for pessimism: Vancouver will play 25 of its remaining 46 games on the road, where its record (6-10-0) is about as attractive as Cousin Eddie’s RV in the driveway.

Obviously things are sliding downhill and we just need to stick together in this. I look at our team and we’re having a hard time scoring right now, and I look at our roster and I wonder why. . . . Even our good players were fighting things tonight. Guys that can make plays and can score goals were throwing the puck away for no reason.

-Flyers GM Paul Holmgren after losing to the Panthers last night. More from Sam Carchidi of the Philadelphia Inquirer.

Steve Yzerman, Team Canada’s GM, is planning on making the announcement of Canada’s final roster on December 30, 2009, a little more than a week from now. Yzerman will name his 23 man roster during the World Junior tournament in Saskatoon, Canada.

Below you will find the three groupings for the 2010 Olympic hockey tournament:

GROUP A: Canada, United States, Norway, Switzerland

GROUP B: Russia, Czech Republic, Latvia, Slovakia

GROUP C: Finland, Sweden, Germany, Belarus

The countries in bold are the four tournament favorites, without disrespect to the other eight countries.

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